4 Questions We Get From Bloggers Who Want to Start a Podcast

Thinking about starting a podcast? Yeah…who isn’t? Since shifting from blogging to podcasting more than two years ago, we’ve chatted with bloggers and content creators across this space about how to start a podcast to add into your existing blog brand or make a full pivot like we did and make podcasting your primary creative vehicle.

Here are the most common questions we field from podcast-curious bloggers:

Q: Will my content translate to podcasting?

A: Probably. But we like to answer this question with another one: Do you really want to podcast about what you blog about? Bloggers looking to get into podcasting are often also itching to explore another topic area. Maybe you have a general lifestyle blog but recipes are really firing you up right now. In that case, your podcast might be an interview show featuring foodies and cookbook authors, and only tangentially related to your blog. Starting a podcast is a great opportunity to go deep into a specific niche or shift your messaging slightly, so don’t feel tied to your blog topic when narrowing down your podcast focus area.

Q: Will my readers follow me to a podcast? Will they even know how to listen to a podcast?

A: This is a big concern for bloggers who have spent years nurturing their readership and blog community. Truthfully? The answer is that not everyone who reads your blog will be into podcasting. It’s like inviting everyone from your yoga class to start a book club with you; some of them will be all-in and other will be like, “No thanks. I’m not into books. See you at yoga!”

But here’s the thing: Your listeners are out there. Thousands of them. People who listen to podcasts want morepodcasts to listen to, and these listeners don’t need to have followed you online to get into your podcast. So while it’s worthwhile to help your existing audience make the transition to listening to your podcast (more on that in a future post), we think the bigger opportunity lies in the millions of podcast listeners hungry for more great content.

Q: Should my podcast have the same name (logo/URL/social handles) as my blog?

A: It depends. Do you love the name? Is the topic you’ve chosen to podcast about identical to your blog topic? Do you have a massive following on your social platform and can’t bear the thought of starting over?

There are a lot of different ways to handle these questions, but we encourage would-be podcasters to keep in mind that a lot of people will find your podcast without ever having heard of your blog, so if the name isn’t a perfect fit it’s worth considering finding a better one that really represents what you plan to podcast about. Apple Podcasts (the symbol formerly known as iTunes) works like a search directory, so having a name that clearly states what your show is about will help your visibility as well.

As for website and social media, many bloggers choose to keep their podcast under the umbrella of their blog (even if it has a different name) and promote it from the blog’s social channels. We’ve seen this work really well, especially if you use a unique hashtag to identify podcast-specific social media posts. When we made the full switch to podcasting and shut down our blog in 2015 we started from scratch with a new website and mostly-new social platforms (we were able to change our Facebook page name and retain those fans in the switch).

Q: Do I need a co-host?

A: We’re partial to podcasts with two voices, but that’s because we host one! If you’re more of a solo artist there are several ways to combat the less-than-desirable prospect of talking alone into a mic week after week. One idea is to act as the main host and have a rotating panel of co-hosts or recurring guests; another is to structure your show around guest interviews. If your podcast is short in length and you’re a subject-matter-expert delivering great content, going solo can work; on the other hand, podcasts are ultimately a conversation, and we think you’ll find it easier–and way more fun–to have somebody to talk to.

Sarah Powers and Meagan Francis are co-owners of the Life, Listened Podcast Network and co-hosts of the popular weekly parenting podcast The Mom Hour. Nominated for a 2016 Iris Award for Podcast of the Year, The Mom Hour strikes a chord with thousands of moms each week as Meagan and Sarah offer practical tips and real-life encouragement for enjoying parenting more while cutting back on comparison, worry, and stress. Life, Listened, a boutique lifestyle podcast network, is home to six weekly shows and a thriving listener community. Sarah is the detailed one and Meagan loves the big picture, but they both believe equally in the power of audio content and love helping new and aspiring podcasters find their voice in the medium.

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Mom 2.0 Summit

MAY 6-8, 2020 • Los Angeles, California
AN OPEN CONVERSATION BETWEEN MOMS + MARKETERS + MEDIA
Mom 2.0 is a gathering of influencers and leaders who create content online and on air in parenting, entertainment, food, politics, business, marketing, technology, social change, travel and design.